Rosemary Macy, Janet Willhaus and Ann Butt, School of Nursing, have recently become Certified Healthcare Simulation Educators. The certification is a new credentialing program offered by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.
Benefits of certification in healthcare simulation education accrue value to the individual, their organization and the community by:
- improving healthcare simulation education through the identification of best practices;
- strengthening patient safety efforts through support of simulation modalities;
- providing external validation of individual educator knowledge, skills, and abilities;
- strengthening organizational, community, and learner confidence in the quality of education;
- fostering a feedback loop between education and practice; and
- encouraging performance improvement and knowledge expansion of the individual educator.
Certification is a formal professional recognition of specialized knowledge, skills, abilities and accomplishments in simulation education. Certification:
- recognizes one’s commitment to continued professional development and lifelong learning.
- is a process that helps one reflect on one’s professional accomplishments and provides international recognition.
- meets the needs of employers, practitioners, and the public by identifying educators with specialized knowledge and skills in healthcare simulation education.